King and Queen in Northern Norway, day 2

Motiv: The royal couples on their way to Tromsø University, the most northern university in the world. Photo: Kungahuset.se

On Wednesday 19 June, The King and Queen continued their official visit to Northern Norway at the invitation of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. The day was spent in Tromsø. The King and Queen were accompanied by Minister for Trade and Nordic Cooperation Ewa Björling, and a delegation of Swedish business representatives.

The King and Queen on their visit to Northern Norway: First and foremost we would like to thank our hosts for their kindness during our trip to Northern Norway. We would also like to thank all those who have enriched our visit in Harstad and Tromsø. Today we have discovered Norwegian culture in many different forms, from landscape gardening to contemporary Sami art. We have also found out about the latest polar research and witnessed the excellent cooperation between Tromsø and Umeå University.

4.36 p.m. Espen Stedje, Secretary General of Föreningen Norden (Nordic Association), welcomes The King and Queen and talks about the work of Föreningen Norden. There is considerable cooperation between Norway and Sweden, particularly notable in the number of students here in Tromsø.

Föreningen Norden

Youth unemployment is a focus area during Sweden's chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2013. 2014 marks 60 years since an agreement was reached on the common Nordic labour market. Since then, Föreningen Norden has been working to increase mobility between the Nordic countries, partly via the summer job programme Nordjobb, which the association has been running since 1985.Find out more about Föreningen Norden.

4.34 p.m. The royal couples arrive at Tromsø library.

3.44 p.m. The royal couples arrive at the Art Museum of Northern Norway. The museum's director Knut Ljøgodt provides a guided tour of the exhibition Sølvbryllupsgaven (Silver Wedding Gift). Afterwards, a selection of contemporary art from the permanent collection is shown, along with individual pieces from the exhibition Sami Stories.

Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum. Foto: Kunghuset.se

Art Museum of Northern Norway (Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum)

Norway's youngest art museum and the only major museum north of Trondheim opened in 1985. The museum collects, documents and displays art with a connection to Northern Norway. The exhibition Silver Wedding Gift comprises 17 paintings produced by Norway's most prominent 19th century artists, which were given as a silver wedding anniversary gift from the Norwegian people to the last king under the union between Norway and Sweden, King Oskar II, and Queen Sophie in 1882. The exhibition is part of the project The Royal Journey, a gift from the Norwegian government to King Harald and Queen Sonja to mark their 75th birthdays in 2012.

1.35 p.m. The King and Queen's lunch begins with a speech by The King. The menu is poached cod with melted butter and grated horseradish.

11.50 a.m. Professor Nils Peder Willassen, University of Tromsø, and Professor Fredrik Almqvist, Umeå University, talk about a research project that is focusing on finding valuable biological molecules in nature, both on land at at sea. There are many as yet undiscovered molecules in microorganisms in the arctic landscape. Microorganisms were the first form of life on earth and there are now more than 100 million species. Samples are collected via expeditions and water samples, which are then sent to the researchers. After the biomolecules have been isolated, they can be used in new products and for new areas of use. The research teams are currently looking for new enzymes to use in medical diagnostics. One area where enzymes can be used is in diagnosing HIV more effectively and quickly.

11.37 a.m. The royal couples arrive at the University of Tromsø, where Vice-Chancellor Jarle Aarbakke welcomes them and talks about the university. The university was established in 1968 and is the most northern university in the world. Tromsø has many foreign students, with Swedes accounting for the largest group, followed by Russian students.Lena Gustafsson, Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University, talks about the partnership between the two universities, including around polar research.

11.00 a.m. Melissa Chierici, Deputy Director of the Institute of Marine Research, talks about the ocean acidification that is currently happening. About half of carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed by the ocean. The PH value of the ocean is falling, which makes it harder for sea creatures to form shells and skeletons. The Arctic is particularly sensitive to this development.

10.50 a.m. Magnus Jóhannesson, director of the Arctic Council's secretariat, then talks about the Arctic Council, which was founded in 1996. Sweden chaired the council 2011-2013 and the chairmanship ended with a ministerial meeting in Kiruna earlier in the spring. Canada took over and the focus for its chairmanship is people and economic development.

10.40 a.m. Coastal director Kirsti Slotsvik, the Norwegian Coastal Administration (Kustverket), then spoke about BarentsWatch, which is an initiative monitoring climate, transportation, fishing and issues relating to the law of the sea. BarentsWatch runs a state internet portal, which functions as a source of knowledge for information about coastal and sea areas. Ten departments and over thirty authorities work together as part of the initiative.

10.30 a.m. Jan-Gunnar Winther talks about the arctic research being conducted in Tromsø. Some 50% of the ice has disappeared in Arctic in just 30 years. This development affects the climate in the rest of the world. He describes the current situation as a mosaic of ice instead of whole areas of ice that used to exist.

10.15 a.m. Director of the Polar Museum, Lena Aarekol, welcomes the party. Jan-Gunnar Winther, Director of the Norwegian Polar Institute and Chairman of Framsenteret, then talks about the programme for the day at the Polar Museum, which will focus on the Arctic. Under-secretary of State Torgeir Larsen then gives an overview of Norway's borders and where they go out at sea. Torgeir Larsen continues on the subject of shipping traffic in the Arctic, which is on the increase as the amount of ice decreases. Afterwards, he talks about the industries operating in the Arctic: oil, fishing and minerals provide stable incomes.

10.12 a.m. The royal couples arrive at the Polar Museum.

10.03 a.m. The royal couples disembark from the Royal Yacht of Norway, K/S Norge, and begin day two of the official visit.

King and Queen visit Tromsø, 19 June

The history of Tromsø dates back to the 1200s, when a church was built on the island Tromsøya. With its approx. 70,000 inhabitants, Tromsø is now the largest city in Northern Norway and the administrative centre for Troms fylke (county). The city is known for its university and rich cultural life, with several museums and a wide range of restaurants and outdoor venues. Agriculture and fishing have long been the main industries in Tromsø and they remain significant today. The Arctic Council's secretariat has been located in Tromsø since January this year. The service sector has seen significant growth in recent years; three-quarters of the municipality's workers are currently employed within the public or private service sector. The Hurtigruten passenger ferries stop in Tromsø every day.

The Royal Yacht K/S Norge

During their official visit to Northern Norway, The King and Queen are travelling on the Royal Yacht of Norway, Kongeskipet K/S Norge. The Royal Yacht was a gift from the Norwegian people to Norway's then King Haakon VII following a nationwide collection in 1947. K/S Norge is now owned by H.M. King Harald V, who is an active user of the yacht for both national and international journeys. K/S Norge is one of the world's two remaining royal yachts, after the British royal yacht Britannia was taken out of service in 1997. The second is the Danish royal yacht Danneborg.

The King and Queen's official visit to Norway

The official visit to Norway is taking place from 18-19 June, and will include Harstad and Tromsø. The purpose of the visit is to strengthen the already excellent relationship between Sweden and Norway, which enjoy partnerships within essentially all areas. Norway, which is Sweden's principle export market, has just over 2,000 Swedish companies and roughly 70,000 Swedish citizens working in the country.

The programme will focus on resources and development in the northern areas, climate and environmental challenges, development of the Swedish-Norwegian education and research partnership, labour market issues and increasing interest in the region among Swedish businesses.

The most recent official visit of The King and Queen. to Norway took place in June 2005 to mark the 100th anniversary of the dissolution of the union in 1905. The Norwegian King and Queen made an official visit to Sweden in September 2005.